The construction of the unusually beautiful snow-white and majestic Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior, which is the pearl of the city of Belaya Tserkov (Ukraine), is associated with the name of the Orthodox landowner Alexandra Vasilievna Branitskaya. In old age, they began to call her the Countess-Church Publisher, this is indicated by archival documents, since she promised to build twelve Orthodox churches.
Savior Transfiguration Church
There is another person who was quite well-known at that time and was involved in the construction of this city shrine - Metropolitan of Kyiv and Galicia Evgeny (Bolkhovitinov). In 1833, an appeal came to his name, which was brought by the envoy of Alexandra Branitskaya. In her letter, the countess asked for blessings for the construction of a stone church in the White Church.
According to the petition, the Holy Transfiguration Church should have three holy altars: the first - in honor ofSavior, the other two - in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the right-believing Prince Alexander Nevsky. The Countess was going to build the temple solely at her own expense. The permission was received, along with this, the dean priest of the village of Grebinok, Evstafiy Durdukovsky, was ordered to consecrate the place for the construction of the temple. In the spring of 1833, Father Evstafiy consecrated a place on the Cathedral Square of the city, and after that construction work began, which lasted six years, for that time the period was quite insignificant.
Rector Archpriest Peter Lebedintsev
The countess-philanthropist hoped to see her offspring during her lifetime, and her wish came true. She reposed before the Lord at the age of 84 in 1838. A year later, on September 24, 1839, the Transfiguration Church, newly built by the Countess, was consecrated by Metropolitan Filaret (Amfiteatrov) of Kyiv and Galicia.
One of the most famous rectors of the temple from 1851 to 1860 was Archpriest Pyotr Gavrilovich Lebedintsev. This clergyman was a highly educated and well-known historian throughout Russia, an ethnographer, a member of several scientific associations, and the author of many reform projects in the church life of the Kiev region. For such a fruitful activity, Father Peter received the largest number of awards among the priests of the Kiev region of the 19th century. He has state orders of St. Anna III and II degree, St. Vladimir IV degree. He corresponded with the ecumenical patriarchs and received awards from foreign kings.
Father Peter, being the rector of the Transfiguration Church, became the first who opened in the Russianempire, a network of parish schools and put a lot of effort into the prosperity of the temple entrusted to him.
Nadrosie
According to the inventory of property in 1852, the Church of the Transfiguration was the richest in Nadrossia in terms of providing church things. The main shrines were a piece of the Life-Giving Cross, the Gospel of 1600 edition (Vilna) and the Gospel in red velvet and silver-gilt frame of the edition of Lvov in 1636.
There was one major flaw in the temple. The rector, Father Fyodor Gankevich, informed the Metropolitan that it was very cold here in winter because of drafts penetrating through windows and doors. In accordance with this, in 1884-1887, insulation work was launched, double windows and doors were installed, and heaters-heaters were installed at the beginning of the 20th century.
Test Times
Almost every rector of the church did a lot of good deeds that increased the well-being of the Bila Tserkva shrine. But with the advent of Soviet power, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior was abandoned, some of the shrines were sent to the museum, and most of them were melted down for state needs and for the needs of the hungry. Lands (143 acres) were also confiscated.
On the territory of the temple was the grave of Countess Alexandra Vasilievna Branitskaya, which was desecrated and thrown into the trash. Gradually, the temple was ruined and closed, then the NKVD archive was opened in it. And then the power structures proceeded to the physical destruction of the shepherds. In 1938, among other pastors, wasfather Alexander Rudskoy, who had been the rector for a long time, was arrested and shot.
During the Great Patriotic War the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior was badly damaged by bombardments, while the archives and utensils burned down, but the mighty walls of the temple withstood even under the onslaught of this terrible fire.
During the war, it was opened, and it began to operate after it was transferred to the newly created Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), but there were few parishioners.
And already in 1944, after the mitigation of the atheistic terror, the believers of the city returned the temple to the UOC-MP. The parish church has been operating since 1962. Then the local authorities closed it again, citing an emergency condition. Despite the fact that the building belonged to the architectural monuments in the 70s, a sports hall was arranged in it.
The temple was reopened in 1989 and Archpriest Ilya Kravchenko was appointed rector, who immediately began the restoration and restoration of the dilapidated cathedral.
The Abbots
In 1994, the church became the main shrine of the newly created Bila Tserkva diocese, received the status and name of the Transfiguration Cathedral.
His Grace Bishop Seraphim (Zaliznitsky) was appointed the first bishop to the Belotserkovskaya cathedra, who carried out a number of interior works, installed a new iconostasis and made wall paintings of the temple.
Since May 31, 2007, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the UOC, His Eminence Archbishop Mitrofan (Yurchuk) headed the Bila Tserkva cathedra, under his leadershipthe revival of the central church of the diocese continued. A sound system was installed, the boundary of Seraphim of Sarov was updated, the church courtyard was ennobled, etc.
July 20, 2012 Augustin (Markevich) was appointed Archbishop of Belotserkovsky and Boguslavsky. Today, under his leadership, the Transfiguration Cathedral is experiencing a new stage of prosperity.
On the territory of the Transfiguration Church is St. Nicholas Church, which dates back to 1706.
